The present invention relates to a method of and an arrangement for loosening, loading and transporting of stratified minerals, for example coal, particularly in underground elongated front longwalls.
For mining of stratified minerals in elongated front longwalls, cutting working means are provided, for example cutting machines, as well as stripping working means, such as planes. Transportation of the minerals is performed by a continuous rotating chain scraper conveyor. Thus, there appear separate operational groups which perform their special functions independently from one another.
It has been attempted to unite the winning and transporting steps with one another. French Pat. No. 1,172,248 discloses a solution in accordance with which a chain strand rotates in a vertical plane, and a loosening tool formed as a carrier is mounted on the chain strand. The loosening tool remains in engagement with the working face both in the working run and the return run. With the aid of the coupling with the loosening tools, the carrier is moved in the floor-side working run in a loosening direction. The return of the carrier is performed by a head.
A further proposal is disclosed in the German Pat. No. 870,836. Here a rotatable cutting chain moves in a vertical plane opposite to the carrier chain. Thereby a certain connection of the winning with the transportation in the sense of an economical use in the event of small stratum thicknesses takes place.